


I might like you more than s'mores

by SquemonWrites



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bilingual Lance (Voltron), Bisexual, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Camping, Camping AU, Cuban Lance (Voltron), F/F, F/M, Gay, Gay Keith (Voltron), Gay Male Character, Gay Shiro, Happy Ending, Hunk (Voltron) is so Pure, Hunk is a good chef, I will probably add more tags as I go, Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Langst, M/M, Pidge | Katie Holt is Savage, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Sassy Pidge | Katie Holt, Slow Burn, Space Dad Shiro (Voltron), Voltron, Water Skiing, Wildlife, a mess, forest, getting stranded, klangst, lake, lance and keith are oblivious idiots, lil sister pidge, wakeboarding - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-16
Updated: 2019-01-25
Packaged: 2019-07-12 07:24:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15990455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SquemonWrites/pseuds/SquemonWrites
Summary: SPACEDADDY: Since it's summer, what do you guys think of going on a trip to a lake in the mountains or something? Hang out at a lodge for a few days?NotYourPrincess: Ooh! That sounds fun!GorgeousMan: Nothing better than a trip into nature!Pidgeon: If they have WiFi then sure.RazzleDazzle: Pidge....RazzleDazzle: The point of going on the trip is to not be on electronics....Pidgeon: Lance, you know very well that I don't like nature.EdgelordKeith: Sure, I'm game.Romelle: I definitely would want to go! When would it be?SPACEDADDY: Should we meet up at Altea Diner to discuss?Keith was wondering what he was getting himself into by deciding to come along on the trip. Little did he know, that he was agreeing to a whole week with the most annoying person in the world - Lance.





	1. It's a Trip

**Author's Note:**

> Im super excited for this fanfic, and I have so many great ideas! I am taking a lot references from a lodge/town at Grand Lake in Colorado and adding my own gist to it. I loved going there during the summer, and got a lot of my inspiration from that and some other lakes I've been to. I really hope to work on this story as frequently as possible, because I have a lot of things planned for the story.  
> You can find me on instagram under @Squemonn or @ask.the.paladudes! ♥

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith choked on his drink. "Woah, wait- drive with Lance?"  
> Shiro grinned. "It will help you two bond."  
> Lance let out a loud groan, throwing his head up to the sky.  
> "Why him?"  
> "You will manage, don't worry."  
> Keith shot his older brother daggers. "Think about what you are doing, Shiro."  
> A content smirk was plastered on Shiro's face as he sipped his drink.
> 
> This would be a fun trip.

**Group chat**

**_7:00 AM_ **

**Group members:**   **_EdgelordKeith, GorgeousMan, HunkyMonkey, DontcallmeMatthew, RazzleDazzle, Romelle, SPACEDADDY, NotYourPrincess, Pidgeon_ **

**SPACEDADDY:** I have a suggestion. Who's awake?

 **Pidgeon:** Wtf Shiro, its so early. This better be good

 **SPACEDADDY:** It is.

 **Pidgeon:** Spill?

 **SPACEDADDY:** I have to wait until everyone is here.

 **Pidgeon:** Matt's phone is dead, but he can read through my phone.

 **RazzleDazzle:** You better have a valid reason for waking me up from my beauty sleep.

 **EdgelordKeith:** "Beauty sleep."

 **RazzleDazzle:** shut your mullet

 **NotYourPrincess:** I'm awake. What's up?

 **Romelle:** I'm here too.

 **GorgeousMan:** what is going on my boy?

 **SPACEDADDY:** is everyone here now?

 **Pidgeon:** Yes, now tell me wtf is up

 **RazzleDazzle:** The sky

 **Pidgeon:** Nobody asked you.

 **RazzleDazzle:** t(*^*)t

 **SPACEDADDY:** Stop it.

 **SPACEDADDY:** Anyway, I had an idea.

 **Romelle:** Okay?

 **SPACEDADDY:** Since it's summer, what do you guys think about going on a trip to a lake in the mountains or something? Hang out at a lodge for a few days?

 **NotYourPrincess:** Ooh! That sounds fun!

 **GorgeousMan:** Nothing better than a trip into nature!

 **Pidgeon:** If they have WiFi there then sure.

 **RazzleDazzle:** Pidge....

 **RazzleDazzle:** The point of going on the trip is to not be on electronics....

 **Pidgeon:** Lance, you know very well that I don't like nature.

 **EdgelordKeith:** Sure, I'm game.

 **Romelle:** I definitely want to go! When would it be?

 **SPACEDADDY:** Should we meet up at Altea Diner to discuss?

Lance put down his phone after they decided to meet at the restaurant Allura's family owned. He shrugged on one of his jackets, walking down the stairs.

"where are you going, Lance?" Veronica's voice rang out from the living room.

"To Altea Diner! I will see ya later!"

He left the house before Veronica could argue with him and force him to do chores. Grinning at his success, he made his way down the block, the early morning chill still lingering in the air.

 

The moment Lance opened the cafe door, he saw most of the group seated at their usual booths.

"Hey!" Lance called, sauntering over to the table.

"Oh hey Lance!" Hunk replied with a smile. "Come and sit down!"

Lance plopped down in one of the chairs next to Keith, who was casually eating french fries. Coran was on the other side of the counter, whipping up some milkshakes for everyone.

"Where's Pidge?" Lance asked, looking around for the shorter girl.

Shiro looked up from the map he was examining. "She's coming. She had some sort of thing with Matt she had to take care of."

Coran sat down four milkshakes. One each for Shiro, Keith, and Lance, and one for Allura and Romelle to share. The brunette took a sip of his before leaning over and stealing a few fries off Keith's plate.

"Hey!"

Lance smirked and dipped one in his chocolate milkshake.

"What the fuck, Lance."

"You haven't lived until you try it."

"Those were mine!"

"Sharing is caring!"

Keith frowned and leaned over, snatching Lance's drink.

"Oi!"

With a glare, Keith took the straw in his mouth and started drinking.

"KEITH WHAT THE HELL! NO, NO, NOPE! THAT'S NOT ALLOWED!"

Lance tugged the drink away, and Keith wiped his mouth with a pleased smirk.

"Sharing is caring, right?"

Lance pouted, examining the damage.

"Aw come on! You drank like, half of it!"

Keith rolled his eyes, unable to suppress his grin. "Stop whining, you can always get another one."

Lance narrowed his eyes, and was about to throw a retort when Pidge walked in.

"What's up you little shits."

"Language," Shiro groaned with an unapproving tone, checking around to make sure there was no kids around their table.

"And to add to that," Keith said, "I think you're the smallest here."

Pidge flipped off the dark haired boy as she took a seat next to Hunk.

"So what's going on?"

"These two are arguing as usual, and we were all waiting around until you arrived."

Pidge was handed a milkshake and drank it thankfully.

"Mm, so I hear a trip might be happening? What's up with that?"

Shiro nodded, pointing to the map.

"There's a lodge that gets really great reviews next to the Balmeran Lake. It's called Balmera Lodge."

Pidge nodded, eyes curious.

"What I propose is that we drive up and stay there for a few nights. We can do some activities on the lake, hike, whatever. There's also a small village next to the lake and lodge as well, so it should be really fun."

"I've been there a few times, I find that you will enjoy it," said Coran from behind the counter. "I am afraid I won't be able to join you kids in the adventure, but I can let you guys take the truck."

Shiro nodded. "We will probably take three cars. I can drive Pidge, Hunk, and Matt in my car, and Allura and Romelle could go in her car, since it's smaller."

Lance's eyebrows furrowed. "Wait... what about us?" He motioned between himself and Keith, confused.

"You two can take Coran's truck."

Keith choked on his drink. "Woah, wait- drive with Lance?"

Shiro grinned. "It will help you two bond."

Lance let out a loud groan, throwing his head up to the sky.

"Why _him_?"

"You will manage, don't worry."

Keith shot his older brother daggers. "Think about what you are doing, Shiro."

A content smirk was plastered on Shiro's face as he sipped his drink.

This would be a fun trip.

 

-

 

Keith wondered how he got in this situation. Why did he agree to this?

That morning, Keith had tried to bribe Shiro into letting him drive Matt, Pidge, and Hunk, but his brother didn't budge, convinced the drive would help strengthen their relationship.

So?

He was stuck with Lance, the most irritating person in the world, for a 4 hour car ride.

Absolutely fantastic.

The moment Lance started playing Beyonce, Keith knew he wouldn't survive the trip.

"Seriously? Beyonce?"

Lance was smirking.

"Yep."

Keith groaned, and attempted to turn the music off, only to find his hand being slapped away by Lance.

"Ah-Ah! Driver gets to pick the music! You get your turn when we switch!"

Keith let out a testy breath, but didn't argue. Instead he checked out, staring out the window with his own set of earbuds in.

 

It wasn't so bad, Keith realized.

 

They switched off every hour, and they agreed that whoever was driving got to choose the music. There was some arguments about artists and songs, but overall, it was almost fun.

Would Keith ever admit that to Lance? Not a chance.

At a certain point Keith's phone died, so he was stuck listening to Lance's odd taste of music. It was a variety of different genres and time periods, all jumbled together. It was honestly so incredibly _Lance_ that Keith didn’t even find it strange.

Lance tapped a song on his phone and turned the volume up.

The first few notes of a song started playing and Keith immediately recognised the song.

_Coming out of my cage, And I've been doing just fine-_

Lance started singing along, and it wasn't too long before Keith joined in, unable to retain his “I’m trying to act like I hate you and your music” attitude. In only a matter of seconds, the car turned into their own little concert. They sung back and forth between the lyrics, both on the verge of laughter.

_"It started out with a kiss"_

" _How did it end up like this?"_

" _It was only a kiss-"_

_"It was only a kiss!"_

Keith belted the lyrics, knowing the song by heart. It made Lance grin, fond of how devoted Keith seemed to the music.

Leaning toward Keith, Lance pretended to hold a microphone in his hands.

_"And I just can't look, it's killing me!"_

Keith smiled and did the same gesture.

_"And taking control...."_

Lance rolled down the windows as they sang in unison, yelling out the windows.

_"Jealousy, turning saints into the sea. Swimming through sick lullabies, choking on your alibis. But it's just the price I pay! Destiny is calling me! Open up my eager eyes - 'Cause I'm Mr. Brightside!!!!"_

At that point they stopped singing and broke into laughter, rolling the windows back up.

Only a few moments passed, and both Keith and Lance received a text.

**Group chat:**

**Pidgeon:** I could hear you two fuckers 3 cars behind you wtf

 **HunkyMonkey:** Let the two have some fun. They're bonding.

 **NotYourPrincess:** Are you talking about people screaming out their car window? I didn't know who it was. That was Keith and Lance?

 

Keith smirked and typed a response.

 

 **Edgelord Keith:** You bet your ass it was.

 **SPACEDADDY:** And I assumed you two would be tearing each other to shreds by now.

 **Edgelord Keith:** Nah. We almost did at one point though over a song but besides that, everything is surprisingly fine.

 **SPACEDADDY:** Good, good.

 **Pidgeon:** SHIRO PUT YOUR DAMN PHONE AWAY, YOU ARE DRIVING.

 **RazzleDazzle:** *le gasp* SHIRO! Children are present, you should drive safely!

 **Pidgeon:** LANCE, YOU TOO! JFC GUYS.

 **RazzleDazzle:** Oh it's fijsndkckvkl 2(''3djsk

 **Pidgeon:** ...

 **Pidgeon:** Did Lance finally get mauled by Keith.

 **Edgelord Keith:** I took his phone away so he could concentrate on driving.

 **Pidgeon:** G o o d.

 **Edgelord Keith:** Anyways,, do you know our ETA?

 **HunkyMonkey:** We will probably be arriving around 3:30 pm.

 **Edgelord Keith:** Okay, we are probably gonna stop for gas and to get some food.

 **HunkyMonkey:** Ok.

 

They pulled into a gas station not too long after their sing-off, meeting up with everyone in the small shop.

Romelle and Allura were busy trying on sunglasses while Keith went to go buy hot cheetos. As he neared the counter, he noticed Lance out of the corner of his eye, filling a cup with a mixture of drinks Keith didn't even _want_ to name. Keith’s nose crinkled in disgust.

Who even mixed drinks? Was that even a thing?

Keith was resistant on asking.

But, curiosity got the best of him.

"Lance, what the fresh fuck are you doing?"

"Getting a drink, what do you think I'm doing?"

"There's a difference between getting one drink and mixing together many."

"Hey, don't talk down on my mixture like that."

Keith frowned. "What are you even mixing?"

Lance smirked, holding it up. "Lemonade, iced tea, and sprite. I call it nunvil."

Keith waved him off, no longer interested in the conversation. "Whatever, you do you."

Lance walked over to where Romelle and Allura were posing in the mirror with various sunglasses.

"Lance!" Allura said cheerfully, taking his hand to pull him over.

"Which glasses look better?"

 

Lance would be lying if he said Allura didn't look good in either. Freshman year he had crushed on her hard, but really, it was hard not to. Even the gayest person in the world could recognise her beauty. She had flawless umber colored skin, and astonishingly blue eyes. Some people used to ask her if she wore contacts, since it was such a rare color. And, to add to that, she had long, wavy white hair, and most thought it was dyed until she showed baby photos.

Lance always had admiration for her, even more so when she came out as bisexual after a tragic breakup with Lotor, who turned out to be one of the biggest dicks on campus.

She was blessed, Lance has to give her that.

"Lance?"

"Oh-!" Lance blinked his thoughts away. "I love the second pair on you."

"That's what I was thinking too, I just wanted to make sure."

Lance smiled and winked. "Anytime, Princess."

 

After Keith finished paying, they decided to hit the last section of the road trip. It was fairly quiet for the rest of the drive. Keith chose to plug his headphones into his phone as Lance drove, so they didn't talk besides the occasional exchange of questions like, "Do I turn here?"

 

They switched who drove after an hour, and continued.

 

After a half hour, they were finally getting close to the lodge.

 _Thank God,_ Keith thought to himself. He didn't think he could last another hour in the car. The roads were winding, and Lance was beginning to complain about how fast Keith was driving.

"Jesus Keith, slow down or we are going to fly off the cliff or something!"

"Will you just shut up and trust me? I can drive a car, Lance."

Lance whined, but didn't press further. Instead he lowered his seat to lay down.

He was tired, after all, so why not doze off?

Finally, Keith pulled into the lodge's parking lot, sighing in relief.

"Thank god," Keith muttered to himself, and looked over to Lance, who had fallen asleep.

Keith realized, examining Lance, that he looked enticing while asleep. It was a different side that Keith hasn't seen. It was softer. Quieter. So much different than when the boy was awake.

Keith shook his thoughts away in embarrassment.

What the fuck was he thinking! That was _Lance_! There is no way in hell he would develop any feelings for such an idiot!

Keith shook Lance's shoulder, and a moment later, Lance's eyes fluttered open.

"We are here," Keith said, then got up to unload.

He needed to get away from Lance. He had spent too much time with him in the car.

 

As Keith unloaded the truck, Lance went in to sign in and talk to Shiro.

Walking inside the lodge toward the front desk, he overheard Shiro talking to Hunk about the sleeping arrangements.

"I'm betting you and Pidge will want to share a room, since she brought a lot of her equipment from home."

"Sure, I think Romelle and Allura might want to have a room to themselves, anyways. And I guess that leaves you and Matt, as well as Keith and Lance."

"The two seem to be getting along fine, I think they could share a room. I have some catching up to do with Matt, so I think we should share a room."

Lance sauntered up and used Hunk's shoulder as an armrest. With a raised eyebrow, he questioned Shiro.

"So I'm stuck with Mullet again?"

"For now, yes. We might be able to switch things up later if things go to hell."

Lance chuckled before taking his set of keys from Shiro. "Guess we will go take the stuff to the room, then."

Shiro nodded, handing Hunk a key. "I guess so. We can meet up a little later, too, once everyone is situated."

The three agreed, and Lance walked back to where Keith was waiting, his arms folded. The scowl he was wearing deepened as he saw Lance holding two identical keys.

"Let me guess."

"You're probably right."

"We are sharing a room?"

"Yup. Shiro said so."

Keith groaned.

_Wonderful._

But, he didn't make a comment. He was too tired.

"Let's go, then."

Lance rolled his eyes. It was a typical thing for Keith to do to blow him off like that.

 

Lance followed Keith as they found their way up the stairs and to their room. It overlooked the lake, a small table and chairs outside. Opening the door, they found a small hallway with a bathroom and a door leading to one bedroom, then to a living room with a kitchen and couches and another bedroom.

"Not too bad," Lance mused, setting his bag of stuff down.

"For an older lodge, yeah, this is pretty nice." Shrugged Keith, who was busy going through the kitchen space.

"There's two bedrooms, so that's good."

Keith nodded. He wouldn't know what he would do if he had to sleep with Lance.

"We probably should go meet up with the others, then, after we put some stuff away. They are all going to the lodge for dinner," Keith said, checking his texts on his phone.

"Alright, let me just put my stuff away in one of the rooms."

 

Keith wasn't sure how they would survive this trip. Driving to the lodge was one thing, but spending every night with Lance? Oh man, he was being set up for something he didn't necessarily sign up for.

All he could do was follow Lance as they left the room, hoping, _praying_ that it would be a better trip than he already was having doubts about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed reading! This is hopefully going to be updated as frequently as possible, and I am also hoping to get some art into the story, too! you can follow me on instagram under @Squemonn or @Ask.the.paladudes for more content I do! Thank you all!  
> 


	2. It Is Always Fun With Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith's eyes shifted down to Lance's hand, then back to Lance. Sticking his tongue out, he licked Lance's palm, causing the boy to jerk away with a startled shriek.
> 
> "KEITH WHAT THE FUCK!" Lance wiped it on his napkin repeating, "Ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew-!"
> 
> A triumphant smirk spread across Keith's lips as he crossed his arms.
> 
> "That's what you get, you dick."
> 
> "The only 'little' person here is Pidge."
> 
> Pidge whipped her head to Lance. "Hey, I'm not the one who ordered off the kid's menu! Shiro ordered CHICKEN STRIPS."
> 
> Shiro raised his hands up in self defense. "Chicken strips are good, okay?!"
> 
> "Shiro, jesus its the ki- no you know what, never mind, you are six."

Lance and Keith found Pidge, Matt, Shiro, and Romelle sitting at the table when they walked into the diner.

"Hey guys, did you get all settled in?" Romelle's eyes were enthusiastic, as if being at the lodge was the greatest thing on Earth.

"Pretty much," Lance nodded. Noticing Hunk was gone, he turned to Pidge.

"Hey, where's Hunk?"

By Pidge's expression, Lance could already tell that Hunk was probably asking one of the chefs about one of the dishes.

He was proven correct when she answered, "Off to go talk to the chef about who knows what."

Lance let out a huff of a laugh. Of course Hunk would do that. He knew no resturants Hunk visited that he didn't go talk to the chefs about something, good or bad.

 

Speak of the devil, Hunk came back, followed by Allura.

"What did you have to say to them this time?" Lance asked, amused.

"Oh, it was nothing important. I was just asking how they prepared their steak. You know I like it over-medium."

Lance chuckled, remembering the time they had went to a restaurant and Hunk almost became the new chef, ordering people around like he owned the place.

"Do you know what you're ordering?" Allura asked, sitting back down next to Romelle.

"I'm looking," replied Lance, looking at the large menu. "There's a lot to choose from."

Keith was quiet as he watched the friendly exchange. He was honestly almost jealous of Lance. How could he just... strike up any conversation with anyone? And, he did it in a way that wasn't awkward. It was natural, and he was a fucking _pro_ at it.

"You alright Keith?" Pidge asked, eyebrow raised. "You're giving Lance a strange look."

Keith felt the heat rise to his cheeks in embarrassment of being called out.

"Wh-Nothing! I'm not making a face!"

"Mhmmm."

Lance looked over at Keith, tuning into the conversation.

"He's just swooning over my good looks," He says, doing finger guns in Keith's direction.

"Definitely not," Keith grunted, before picking up a menu and pretending to busy himself in trying to find something to eat. Lance made a face, before turning back to his own menu.

 

It didn't take long for everyone to finish their meals. Keith leaned back, setting down his fork.

"Jesus Christ I'm stuffed."

Pidge leaned forward to steal a grape from Allura.

"I bet. That steak looked really big."

Lance was scanning the dessert menu.

"Anyone want dessert?" Matt asked.

Pidge's mouth quirked up in a smile, giving him a knowing grin.

"I got us covered," the male added, setting down the dessert menu he was holding.

"Oh no," was Shiro's only reply.

Lance's blue eyes flicked back and forth, confused. But before he could ask, Matt was waving down a waitress.

"Hi, is there any chance you guys do anything for birthdays? It's my little sister's," he pointed to Pidge, "today and we were wondering what you offered."

The waitress looked delighted. "Aw, happy birthday! We give out a free small lava cake to people who have birthdays. Would you like that?"

Pidge clapped her hands together.

"That would be perfect! Thank you so much!" 

 

As the waitress left, Pidge turned back around, a smug look on her face, slapping Matt's hand.

"It is suddenly my birthday."

Lance started laughing, and was quickly followed by the others.

It was typical of Pidge and Matt to do something like that. Once, when the group had gone out to a sushi restaurant, Shiro had fake purposed to Allura. They ended up getting their meals for free because the restaurant owners thought it was so sweet.

Good times.

The waitress came back with a few other waiters as they brought the cake out and started singing happy birthday. It was difficult to suppress laughter as Pidge blew out the candle they had put on the cake in the process of a dab. Forks were set out for everyone, and they each got a share of the cake.

As Keith went to stab a chunk of the cake with his fork, he was intercepted by Lance. They locked challenging gazes, and Keith hurried to bring it toward his mouth. Lance was quick in his reactions, covering Keith's mouth with his hand, and taking Keith's fork in his other free hand. Keith's eyebrows furrowed in irritation as Lance ate the cake off his own fork.

Keith's eyes shifted down to Lance's hand, then back to Lance. Sticking his tongue out, he licked Lance's palm, causing the boy to jerk away with a startled shriek.

"KEITH WHAT THE FUCK!" Lance wiped it on his napkin repeating, " _Ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew_ -!"

A triumphant smirk spread across Keith's lips as he crossed his arms.

"That's what you get, you dick."

"The only 'little' person here is Pidge."

Pidge whipped her head to Lance. "Hey, I'm not the one who ordered off the kid's menu! Shiro ordered CHICKEN STRIPS."

Shiro raised his hands up in self defense. "Chicken strips are good, okay?!"

"Shiro, jesus its the ki- no you know what, never mind, you are six."

Shiro rolled his eyes at the reference to his leap year age.

 

"Remind me why I am friends with you guys?" Allura was sipping her iced tea with a deadpan expression.

Lance leaned forward in an over dramatic swoon. "Because you loooooove us!"

"Everyone except Lance," Keith muttered under his breath. Lance sat up so fast Keith thought that he could have broken a record of some sort.

"Fuck you, Keith."

"Nah."

"Language," Shiro groaned.

"Shiro, don't act like you didn't drop a bunch of f-bombs in the car on the way up here," said Matt, crossing his arms. "Let the kids cuss. You are being a lame father."

Shiro's jaw dropped as he looked at Matt. "Wh- Okay, okay, I cussed a _few_ times because a bird was sitting on the windshield!"

Lance started cackling. "Wait wait wait- what?"

"A BIRD HIT THE WINDOW AND THEN WOULDN'T GET OFF, OKAY?"

"I need to quote, ' _I cussed a few times_ ' because that is FAR from true," commented Pidge as she scraped the last of the chocolate off the plate in front of her.

Keith chuckled, imagining the scenario. "Shiro can cuss like a sailor if he gets annoyed enough. He's not as innocent as it seems. That was proven a few days ago."

"Keith-"

Keith could tell Shiro knew where the story was headed.

"I was on the couch, right? Well Shiro comes in, mom's in the kitchen making some dinner, and-"

"KEITH I SWEAR-"

"Shiro comes in and yells ' _FUCKING HELL_ ,' at the top of his lungs."

 

Everyone burst into fits of laughter, repeating the phrase while Shiro buried his face in his hand before slamming it down.

"OH NO BUT YOU SHOULD HAVE HEARD KEITH LAST WEEK!"

He had to get a grip before telling the story, raising a finger as he tried to stop his laughter.

"I'm in my room studying, and suddenly Keith storms into my room and yells, "SHIRO, I'M SO FUCKING GAY."

Keith was wheezing, hiding his face. "Oh my gooood-"

Matt grinned. "It runs in the family."

Pidge was dying at that point, clutching her sides in the effort to breathe.

"KEITH OH GOD-"

Lance was repeatedly slamming a hand to the table, choking on his laughs.

"Keith, I can't-"

Keith let out a loud groan, leaning back in his chair.

"Stooooop!"

 

The group continued to joke around for a while until they decided they should all probably get back and rest for the night.

Keith and Lance walked back to their room, laughing and bickering as usual. Lance flopped down onto the couch with a groan.

"I could sleep forever."

"That's basically saying you could die."

Lance turned his head to Keith and raised a hand, "Woah there pal, that's _edgy_. Do you know when not to be totally emo and give off that ' _I like darkness_ ' vibe?"

"It's too encoded in my DNA. That's like asking you to not be a complete fucking idiot."

Lance gasped, "Rude!"

Keith smirked and went to his room. "I'm just stating facts!" He called, before closing his door. Lance frowned, left alone on the couch.

"What a dick," Lance grumbled, and he swore he could hear Keith snicker from the other room.

 

Bored, Lance got up and changed before coming back out and sitting on the chair near the window, looking outside. The night was cool, and the breeze felt nice on his skin.

 _It is relaxing here_ , Lance thought. He couldn't wait until they could go out to the lake.

Lance was surprised to hear a knock on the door, and confused he got up to investigate. He walked to the door, peeking through the peekhole. He couldn't see anyone outside, but when he opened the door, Pidge was standing there with her arms around herself.

"What are you doing here?"

Pidge frowned. "Let me in, it's cold."

Lance moved aside to let Pidge find a spot on the couch.

"Can I ask you why you're here at 10:30?"

Pidge shrugged. "Hunk was snoring really loudly and I couldn't sleep so I decided to come and bother you shits because I know for a fact you weren't asleep."

"I'm surprised you came all this way without a grown-up. For the record, I couldn't see you from the peephole because of how short you are."

Pidge glared at him. "You should kiss your precious, ridiculously long legs goodbye, because someday you are gonna wake up and not be able to stand."

"I could get a prosthetic."

"I could break those, too."

"Gremlin!"

As they had their back and forth argument, Keith walked in, hearing the commotion. "I'm.... not going to ask."

Pidge looked over her shoulder. "Good."

Keith crossed his arms. "You do realize you should be getting to bed, right? It's way past your bedtime."

"Psh," Pidge rolled her eyes, "What bedtime?"

"Oh, I just assumed you had one because you're so small," replied Keith.

"You little bitch," Pidge said with narrowed eyes and pointed at him accusingly. "You better watch your mouth, I know where you sleep. Don't be surprised to see me looming over you tonight."

Keith shrugged.

"That's why I keep a knife at my bedside."

Lance hummed to Pidge. "I should count how many times Keith says something edgy on this trip. He's already at around 5 times."

"By the end of the trip he will be at 100 edgy sayings. For fuck's sake, his username is _Edgelord Keith_. He takes pride in it."

Keith let out a tired sigh. "You're speaking as if I'm not standing right here."

"Oh you are still here? I almost forgot. I must have mistook you for a gloomy shadow." Pidge's smirk was teasing, and just slightly evil.

Keith pinched the space between his eyes. "No, you know what? You're going out."

"What, no!" Pidge tried protesting, but Keith was already moving to pick her up. She tried struggling, tried running away, but found herself being picked up upside down and carried toward the door.

"You're a gremlin, you belong outside in the cold," Keith said smugly, setting her down outside.

"Wait no Keeeith-!"

"Don't get mauled by any bears on the way back to your room!"

With that, Keith slammed the door.

He knew she would probably try to do something to get him back tomorrow, but honestly he wasn't going to worry about that now. Instead he listened to her exasperated groan and the creak of the floorboards as she walked back to her room.

"That was brave of you," Lance said with a snicker, and Keith smiled.

"I will probably get my ass beat tomorrow."

"Knowing Pidge, probably."

Keith yawned. "I'm off to bed, the trip up here tired me out."

Lance stretched across the couch before saying, "Same here. I'm pretty exhausted."

 

Keith couldn't help but examine Lance as he lay across the couch. His shirt lifted ever so slightly, exposing the soft, tan skin underneath.

Keith blinked and looked away.

Fuck, what was he doing?

He needs sleep. Yes, that's it. His gay ass just can't function properly because of how tired he is.

"Alright, see you in the morning."

He left. Left and closed his door, and only once he was in the safety of his room did he let out a long sigh, carding his fingers through his hair as he tried to calm his beating heart. 

"Jesus Keith," he muttered to himself. "Get a grip."

 

Sleep didn't come easily, but that was to be expected. He shifted around a bit, trying to find a comfortable position but it proved to be hopeless.

Frustrated, Keith picked up his phone and checked his social media sites. He checked something Lance sent earlier, but then moved on to Twitter. But, surprise hit him when there was a message notification popping up on his screen from Lance.

 

 _**New message - just now** _  
_**RazzleDazzle**_

 **RazzleDazzle:** Ur supposed 2b asleep

Keith rolled his eyes, realizing Lance probably saw that Keith was online.

 **EdgelordKeith:** Says you.

 **RazzleDazzle:** Tru.

Keith felt a smile grow on his face.

 **EdgelordKeith:** You're telling me to go to bed even tho you are awake?

 **RazzleDazzle:** Yes?

Keith rolled his eyes before typing a response.

 **EdgelordKeith:** Good luck convincing me to fall asleep, because I can't.

 **RazzleDazzle:** Mmm, need me to come in an sing you lullabies?

 **EdgelordKeith:** You prob can't sing for shit.

 **RazzleDazzle:** I'm offended, Kogane. Truly offended  >:/ I have a lovely voice!

Keith huffed a laugh.

 **EdgelordKeith:** I need proof.

 **RazzleDazzle:** I just offered to sing you lullabies and you refused, smh, how you gonna get proof without even giving it a chance.

Point taken.

 **EdgelordKeith:** I don't do lullabies then.

 **RazzleDazzle:** Of course you don't. You prob rock out to MCR or some shit to sleep.

 **EdgelordKeith:** That, for one, is not true.

 **RazzleDazzle:** Bet.

Keith screenshotted the song playing on Spotify.

  _Screen - Twenty One Pilots_

 **RazzleDazzle:** Still a lowkey emo band

 **EdgelordKeith:** Don't you dare even think of insulting Twenty One Pilots to my face.

 **RazzleDazzle:** Yeesh, relax, dios mió! I like Twenty One Pilots. I wouldn't insult them.

 **EdgelordKeith:** Good.

 **RazzleDazzle:** IM STANDING IN FRONT OF YOU. IM STANDING IN FRONT OF YOU. IM TRYING TO BE SO COOL EVERYTHING TOGETHER TRYING TO BE SO COOL

 **EdgelordKeith:** You're insufferable.

 **RazzleDazzle:** Aww Keith, but it's the song your listening to!

 **EdgelordKeith:** You ruined it.

 **RazzleDazzle:** I made it better. Can you hear me singing?

Keith frowned and looked up, taking his earbuds out. Sure enough, Lance was singing to Screen, loud enough for Keith to hear from his own room. Keith covered his face and shook his head. This boy was ridiculous.

 **Edgelord Keith:** Definitely ruining it.

then-

 **EdgelordKeith:** I am going to bed, I can't handle you.

 **RazzleDazzle:** But I just did a performance for you :((

 **EdgelordKeith:** One I didn't ask for.

 **RazzleDazzle:** Too edgy~

 **EdgelordKeith:** Stfu.

Keith set down his phone, sighing with a small grin on his face that he could almost say was embarrassing. He thought Lance was done after he said that, but he was mistaken. A few minutes later, his phone buzzed.

 _**New message - 5 seconds ago** _  
_**RazzleDazzle** _

**RazzleDazzle:** Nobody can shut me up without being polite.

 **EdgelordKeith:** Not unless you are muted.

 **RazzleDazzle:** Awe. :(

Keith put his phone down again, shaking his head. Lance was something else, he could say that for sure. And honestly, maybe messaging him helped, because he was actually getting tired. So, he shifted, eventually falling asleep to ' _Before You Start Your Day_ ' playing softly through his headphones.

_Look in the mirror and ask your soul if you're alright_

_Put out the glitter that your soul hides behind_

_You're in my mind_

_I'm singing_

_You're in my mind_

_I'm singing_

_La da, la da, la da, la da, la da, la da...._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That scene with the fake proposal actually happened with my brother and his girlfriend once. And to add to that, we do that birthday thing a lot when we go to new restaurants. It's great, lmao.  
> I was hoping to update sooner, than you for the wait! I hope you are enjoying the story so far, it's really fun to write! <3
> 
> You can follow me on Instagram!  
> @Squemonn ♡


	3. Starting Your Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took a little longer than expected to update!

Lance woke up bright and early. It was chilly, but that was to be expected, knowing the mountains. Outside the window, the lake was shining, the early morning sunlight reflecting off the still, glassy surface.

 

With a stretch, the brunette got up, slipping his slippers on and going into the bathroom to shower.

Mornings used to not be his thing, but he had grown fond of them, liking to rise with the sun and have time to prepare for the day.  
Lance took his time in the shower, thoughts wandering about his expectations for the days ahead. He set goals like: do a flip while water skiing, count 20 deer, capsize each person in kayaks. Lance smiled, excitement already bubbling in him.

After showing, Lance got out and did his normal skin care routine. It wasn't necessarily for picking up girls, or boys, in his case. That's just what everyone seemed to assume. It could have its advantages, but no, Lance didn't normally think of it that way. Ever since he was little, his sister Veronica would pester him about good skin care, getting him into a habit.

" _It will benefit you when you are older, trust me,_ " she had said, and Lance believed her.

And here he was today, applying a face mask before walking out of the bathroom and taking out the pancake mix he had brought.  
Shiro had told the group that the food was rather expensive at the hotel, so they should make the most food they could back in the hotel rooms, which seemed reasonable. There was a coffee shop and bakery across the street, so Lance figured they could stop by there sometime else. So he continued to make breakfast, happily humming and shuffling about in the kitchen.

 

-

 

Keith woke up to the smell of freshly made pancakes. The distinct scent wafted into his room, which led him to follow the smell out into the living room where he found Lance at the kitchen counter, making breakfast, humming as he worked.

The sight was... surprising, to say the least. Keith had no idea Lance was an early riser, but seeing him here like this proved it to be true. Keith felt a tug at his heartstrings, looking at Lance. Everything seemed... soft? Peaceful? Homey?

Lance was wearing a loose fitting shirt that exposed one of his shoulders and checkered pants, and his hair was damp and extremely wavy from the result of a shower. Keith was honestly stunned, standing at the doorway.

"You gonna stand there forever or come get your pancakes?"

Lance's teasing voice wrenched Keith back to reality, who immediately flushed in embarrassment.

God, he needed to chill his heart out. This was Lance.  
LANCE!

L-A-N-C-E.

But currently, Keith couldn't possibly cringe at the name, because all he saw was this gorgeous-

No.

Stop.

"Oh, uh yeah." Keith took a deep breath before coming over, taking a plate.

Okay, maybe he could cringe a little at the fact that Lance made a smiley face with whipped cream, strawberries, and chocolate chips. It was such a typical 'Lance' thing to do that Keith found himself letting out a snort of laughter.

"You like my professional art skills?" Lance asked, posing with a proud smirk.

"Ten out of ten," Keith laughed, plucking the strawberry nose off.

"Oh no! Now he can't smell. How dare you, Keith."

Keith rolled his eyes but grinned. He observed Lance as the male got a glass of water, before his eyes shifted to the box of pancake mix out on the counter.

"Where'd you get the ingredients?"

"Packed them."

"Ah."

 

The two ate breakfast, exchanging small talk as they sat at the table. It was nice, in Keith's opinion. He was surprised how well things were going, based off how their relationship was in the past.  
A chime of a phone alerted the two that the group was up.

**SPACEDADDY:** Matt and I will go down and rent some things for the time here. Feel free to go walk around town, it's pretty cool! We will meet up with you a little later. Get your lazy asses outside.

**Pidgeon:** I can tell the last part was aimed toward me

**SPACEDADDY:** You are known to hide away in your room to do whatever on your computer.

**Romelle:** Allura and I will go out and shop around. Keith and Lance, want to come with?

Lance looked over to Keith to check in, and when Keith nodded, he replied.

**RazzleDazzle:** You bet :D

 

Keith found himself being pulled out the door by an excited Lance after they finished breakfast, the Cuban boy insisting that they look around at all the shops.

The hotel was placed just about 50 yards away from the beach of the lake, where children played and people walked around. Around the corner facing south was the beginning of the boardwalk which lead to small shops and restaurants. That's where Keith and Lance walked, looking through the Windows of shops and getting the lay of the land.

"Keith, oh my god look," Lance pointed up ahead to a sign. Keith looked up, eyebrow raised.

"A chocolate store?"

" _Yes!_ Keith, we have to go in!"

"Alright," Keith shrugged. He didn't want to say that the mention of chocolate sounded extremely good at the moment.

Lance practically skipped down the boardwalk to the store, then calling to Keith, "Oi, Allura and Romelle are here too!"

Keith came over, seeing the two drooling over the chocolate displayed.

"Hey guys!" Lance said when they came into the store, a light jingling of bells alerting their presence.

"Oh hey Lance, Keith! We were both looking at how yummy all the chocolate looked!"

Lance walked over to their sides, observing all the candies.

"Oh god, you're right," Lance said, leaning forward more to get a better look at everything. "I might buy the whole store if I'm not careful."

The cashier chuckled. "Here, you four all can have a sample of something."

Romelle's eyes lit up. "Really? Aaah thank you!"

Keith found himself shuffling over, eyes catching on the caramel apples.

"Keith what sample would you like?" Lance broke his envious stare, and Keith stammered, "Wha? Oh uh... the mint chocolate."

"Alright." the cashier handed him the square.

"Are we buying anything?" Keith asked as he tasted the chocolate.  
"Definitely."

 

They ended up spending a lot more money than intended, but in the end, who cared? They were on vacation. Money, at least in Lance's opinion, is meant to be spent.

Keith was biting into his caramel apple when he passed a store. The collection of knives on display in the window immediately caught his attention, and since he couldn't say anything at the moment with his mouth full, he instead pointed to it, making insistent noises.

"Oh god Keith, seriously? That whole store just sells knives and hunting equipment."

Too bad, Keith was already going in, Lance rolling his eyes and following.

 

"Woah," Keith said, observing the collection.

"I don't understand your obsession with knives."

"They're cool."

Lance chuckled. His attention caught to an incredibly shiny rainbow pocket knife.

"Keith," Lance laughed, "Keith come here."

Curious, the black haired boy made his way over before gazing down at it.

"Oh my god."

"Its one of those rainbow knives!"

"Holy shit, I need it," Keith said in a hushed whisper, which caused Lance to break out into laughter.

"Its probably too expensive," Lance reasoned, and checking the tag, Keith pouted.

Lance snickered at the rare sight.

"I don't have enough on me right now," Keith said sadly.

"We can get it later," Lance shrugged, pulling Keith away from his knife.

"Wait..." Keith whined, resisting.

"Jesus Keith, come _on._ "

"I can pay you back..?"

Lance stopped pulling, eyebrow raising.

Keith looked hopeful.

"I can pay you back if you buy it right now," Keith repeated, straightening his posture and regaining composure.

Lance let out a long sigh.

"I will buy it for you-" Keith almost celebrated, arms raising with victory, but Lance thruster a finger to Keith's lips. "-on three conditions."

Keith's arms lowered, eyes narrowing. "Three? Isn't paying you back enough?"

Lance smirked. "Not when you're making deals with Lance, no."

Keith rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. "Okay, what?"

Lance grinned. "One, you pay me back, but that's already been discussed. Two, you have to paddle me around on a Stand Up Paddle Board. And three, you have to give me a massage."

Keith scowled. "A massage?"

"Yep."

 

Keith thought for a few moments, eyes darting between the blade and Lance.

"Fine," Keith groaned. "Just buy the stupid knife please."

Lance let out a _tsk!_

"Ah ah Keith. You gotta commit to the agreement. Repeat after me. I, Keith Kogane-"

Keith rolled his eyes, and in an unenthusiastic voice he repeated after Lance, "I, Keith Kogane..."

"Agree to pay Lance back"

"Agree to pay Lance back..."

"Be his personal driver with Stand Up Paddle boards"

"Be his personal driver with Stand Up Paddle boards..."

"And give him a fine ass massage."

"And give him a... Fine ass massage..."

Lance smiled, patting Keith's head. "Good mullet." Then, went over to pay.

Keith thanked Lance as they walked put, and Lance pretended to be extremely shocked. "Wh- did KEITH KOGANE just thank me?"

Seeing Pidge walking down the boardwalk on the opposite side of the street, Lance called out. "HEY PIDGE."

She lifted her head, and with a frown of confusion, replied, "WHAT?"

"KEITH JUST THANKED ME."

"Oh my _gooood....._ " Keith groaned, turning away to hide his embarrassment.

"YOU MUST HAVE DONE SOMETHING SPECIAL TO GET HIM TO THANK YOU."

"I BOUGHT HIM A RAINBOW KNIFE."

"A WHAT-?"

Lance started breaking out into a fit of laughter, and Pidge was quick to cross the street and come over.

"Hand that shit over and let me see."

Keith gave Pidge the knife, watching as she pulled it from it's sleeve and turned it over.

"This is the gayest shit I've ever seen."

Keith snorted.

"I cannot believe you bought him another knife, Lance. Do you even _know_ how many knives he has at home?"

"I'm afraid to know."

Pidge gave the pocket knife back to Keith.

"Too many."

"Ah yes, I will never forget the first year of the garrison. He stole all the fucking knives from the Garrison cafeteria."

"He- WHAT? _KEITH_ -"

"I THOUGHT THEY WERE FUN TO COLLECT," Keith said to his defense.

"I -- fuck, I cannot handle you. I'm gonna go find Hunk."

 

Keith found himself being pulled into a shop a few stores down from the store selling the rainbow knives. The scent of the store immediately it Keith's nose, causing him to sneeze.

"Lance, why do you need to shop here?" Keith asked, looking around at multiple body products. It reminded him of Bath and Body Works... except more... natural?

"I need some more lotion, I grabbed a bottle that was nearly empty," Lance hummed, but was drawn to some face masks.

"And maybe some of these..."

Keith rolled his eyes. "You are a pain."

"Correction," Lance said, waggling a finger at the dark haired male.

" _Beauty_ is pain. I'm just fucking committed to that suffering some people don't appreciate."

 

If Keith wasn't rolling his eyes before, damn, he sure was now.

"What does this shit even _do?_ " Keith picked up one of the face masks Lance had put in the basket.

"Depends, really," Lance said as he pulled another from a shelf.

"OOH!" The brunette said suddenly, turning to Keith.

"I KNOW WHAT WE SHOULD DO."

Oh man.

"What?"

"WE SHOULD HAVE A SALON NIGHT TONIGHT!"

Keith groaned. "No."

"Come oooon then you can try on a face mask! We can have everyone come over and hang out."

Part of Keith was in some ways wanting to try out a face mask to see how it felt.

Was he going to tell Lance that?

Hell no.

So-

"Definitely not."

Lance leaned up to Keith, a devilish smirk splayed across his face and one eyebrow quirked up.

"Will you do it if I force Shiro to do it?"

Keith frowned.

Thought about it.

"Keeeeeiiiiith.... I bought you a rainbow knife. Pleaaase?"

The boy let out another frustrated sound, before snatching the face mask away from Lance.

"Fine, but only because I want to see Shiro wearing a face mask!"

Keith stalked off to look at something else, but he didn't miss the way Lance pumped his fist in the air with victory.

He hoped he wouldn't regret his life choices.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keith is DEFINITELY going to regret his life choices later on... but don't we all at some points?


	4. Little Adventures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith is a demon, and Lance just wants to do face masks. It is time for a small adventure, followed by a spa and movie night.

**Group Chat**

**_4:38 PM_ **

**Group Members:** **_EdgelordKeith, GorgeousMan, HunkyMonkey, DontcallmeMatthew, RazzleDazzle, Romelle, SPACEDADDY, NotYourPrincess, Pidgeon_ **

**DontcallmeMatthew:** A message being passed on from Shiro: Do you want to get a snack before going out and looking for some wildlife?

 **Pidgeon:** ew. Nature.

 **NotYourPrincess:** Sure! Romelle and I finished shopping not too long ago, so we are totally up for it!

 **RazzleDazzle:** Sure, Lancy Lance is in! >:D

 **EdgelordKeith:** Why not.

 **RazzleDazzle:** Then Keith can go hunting for Mothman.

 **EdgelordKeith:** stfu Lance.

 **RazzleDazzle:** Make me bitch

 **Edgelord Keith:** U better watch out

 **RazzleDazzle:** Keith has a Mothman fetish.

 **Pidgeon:** Lance, I'm being a nice person right now by saying you should probably go lock yourself in the bathroom.

 **RazzleDazzle:** Thanks for the advice, because I swear to God he's about ready to murder me

 **RazzleDazzle:**  He's trying to unlock the door from the outside

 **Pidgeon:** He won't know how don't worry

 **Pidgeon:** I tried teaching him how before and he couldn't do it for the life of him

 **RazzleDazzle:** He stopped

 **Pidgeon:** Really?

 **RazzleDazzle:** Yeah?

 **Pidgeon:** Huh

 **RazzleDazzle:** Think he gave up?

 **Pidgeon:** Dunno, go out and check?

 **RazzleDazzle:** I'm risking it

Lance crept out of the safety of the bathroom, the room so silent it was almost scaring Lance. He looked around, prepared for Keith to jump out at him at any given moment.  
No sign of that dark haired mullet.  
Lance let out a breath of relief, failing to see Keith creeping up behind him.  
Turning, Lance screamed (something he would deny doing later) after seeing Keith holding both his old and new knives in his hands.  
"ARE YOU READY TO DIE?"  
Lance shrieked and fucking  _BOOKED_ it out of the room, the door flying open as he ran outside, the other male hot on his tail. Lance ran like his life depended on it. He took a sharp turn down the hallway, running toward Pidge's room.  
"HUNNNK! PIIIDGE!! HELP!"  
The door to their room opened.  
"PIDGE HELP ME HE'S TRYING TO STAB ME."  
Lance ran into their room, and Pidge was quick to slam the door shut. Only once Lance knew he was safe did he flop down on their couch with a wheeze.  
"Dumbass."  
Lance chuckled, still out of breath. "He is terrifying!"  
Pidge rolled her eyes.  
"Whatever you do, don't open that door," Lance said when there was a series of pounding.  
There was a sudden evil grin that spread across Pidge's face, and her hand dangerously played with the doorknob.  
"Hmm... why shouldn't I?"  
"Pidge-"  
"Mmm... You kicked me out of your room, so you have to pay the price." She said, and the door opened, revealing a not so happy Keith.  
"PIDGE!"  
"Guess my hand slipped."  
Keith came over, to Lance, which quickly turned into a wrestling match, legs and limbs flying in different directions, resulting in the two falling off the couch and on to the floor.  
"YOU FUCKER," Keith yelled, pinning Lance down.  
They kicked and delivered soft punches, but it was all friendly. Pidge had found the situation boring and snuck off to get a snack from her kitchen.  
"i believe Mothman IS real, for your information!"  
Lance let out a large cackle. "YOU'RE NOT EVEN DENYING ANYTHING AT THIS POINT."  
"SHUT UP!"

Lance let out a wheeze, which got Keith smiling. It was only once they were settling down that Keith noticed the two's positions. Keith was straddling Lance's hips, pinning Lance's wrists down to the floor. But the worst part was their close proximity.  
Keith was quick to clear his throat and sit back up, releasing Lance from the hold.  
"I'll find him someday," Keith said with a smirk, which earned a grin from Lance.  
"Ooh, you should make a TV show about it then. _Keith Kogane: Mothman Hunter_! Only on Animal Planet!"  
Keith let out a huff of a laugh. "You're ridiculous."  
"You both are," Pidge commented, walking back in with a juice box. "Come on, we should all head down to meet the rest of the group."

So, the three made their way down to the small snack across the small street.  
Romelle and Allura were seated at the outside tables when they arrived, Hunk ordering.  
"Wheres Shiro and Matt?"  
Romelle pointed to where the two were standing over on the docks.  
Lance went up to look at the menu, excited to see churros as one of the menu items.  
Keith ordered ice cream, and Lance gave him a look like he was crazy.  
"Dude, it's gonna get cold later. You sure you want to eat  _ice cream_ right now?"  
And to answer Lance's question, Keith, without breaking eye contact,  _bit_ into the ice cream.  
Pidge hissed like a demon, making the sign of the cross, and Lance looked utterly horrified.  
"You are a spawn of Satan, Keith Kogane."  
Keith grinned as he continued to take bites out of the ice cream, and Pidge let out inhumane squawks like a bird who's vocal chords got torn out.  
"NOPE THAT'S IT," Pidge yelled when Keith decided to further annoy them by chipping off the pieces of his cone. The short girl tried reaching to snatch the ice cream away, but Keith held it above his head.   
Pidge wasn't one to give up easily.  
In response, she decided to jab Keith in the gut, before slapping the cone to the ground.  
Keith stared for a moment, before his gaze shifted to her and she was suddenly being lifted off the ground and carried over to the lake's edge.  
"KEITH PUT ME DOWN YOU SINFUL BITCH."  
"Shiro!" Keith called to his brother, completely ignoring Pidge's wails.  
"Can I throw her in?"  
Shiro's frown was and obvious no, but Keith still decided to pretend like he was going to. Pidge shrieked, and Keith finally relented, setting Pidge down.  
Pidge flashed him the middle finger, before walking back over to the tables.  
Keith was quick to follow, and from there, the group got together and piled into Coran's truck to drive around to spot some wildlife.

It was the definition of chaotic.

Shiro drove, Hunk in the front passenger seat while Allura, Romelle, and Matt sat in back.  
Pidge, Lance, and Keith were sitting in the open cargo bed of the truck.  
Keith wondered how long it would be before they got pulled over, honestly.  
In their current situation, Keith knew there was little chance of them seeing wildlife. They probably would scare the animals off first, and Keith couldn't blame them. He too, would run the opposite direction of a truck full of loud, obnoxious people.  
Thinking about it, the whole scene was pretty hilarious. Shiro would pull over every few minutes because Romelle would think she saw something, but it would turn out to be some sort of branch or rock. When they actually  _did_ see a deer, Allura squealed so loudly it ran off.  
Lance was laughing his ass off half the trip, mainly because during a specific part of the road there was a bump and Pidge had been leaning over the edge and nearly fell out of the truck.  
Keith swore if they videotaped every single incident during the trip, by the end the group could probably be stars on a comedy show.  
By the end, sightseeing was quite successful. Deer, elk, and one lone moose.

Back in Lance and Keith's room, they started a video chat with Coran, who was more than enthusiastic to talk about his adventures with wildlife. It was entertaining. Lance had gathered his plethora of his beauty supplies, and was working away with everyone, making sure they were as comfortable as possible.  
Keith, of course, was hesitant, but he even found himself being forced down onto the couch. Lance had insisted he changed from the outfit he wore, and so he now was sitting in a loose grey shirt and shorts.

"I still don't understand the point of this," Keith frowned, watching Lance take out a bunch of supplies he didn't even know existed.   
"Relax! It's good for you!"  
Lance handed Keith a container with a green, creamy looking substance in it.  
Keith gave him a confused look. "I.... uh..."  
Lance groaned, and then took it back.  
"Okay no, you know what-"  
Oh.  
Lance moved over to sit next to Keith on the couch, and before the dark haired boy realized it, Lance was grabbing Keith's chin to get a better angle.  
Keith wasn't gonna lie, it was a bit of a heart stopping moment. Out of context, that action could give away different intention.  
Keith nearly shook his head trying to get that thought from his head, and focused on keeping calm.  
Staying chill.  
This was chill. Right?  
Lance was leaning close toward Keith's face to smear the face mask on Keith's face.  
"I don't know why I have to do this, my skin is fine..." Keith grumbled, avoiding Lance's gaze.  
"Yeah, you do have pretty flawless skin, but that's why you gotta take care of it. It's almost unfair since you don't even put any effort into it." Lance's eyes were roaming around Keith's features, which made Keith even squirmier under such an intense stare.  
"Alright," Lance said, leaning back. Keith finally felt like he could breath properly again.  
"Let that sit for fifteen minutes, then you can wash it off. Then I will put some moisturizer and some other stuff on."  
Keith almost touched the face mask, but Lance's hand quickly went up to slap it away. "Ah ah, no touching it."  
Keith sighed.  
Romelle was laying down on a mat she brought, cucumbers over her eyes and sheet mask on her face. Allura was putting on some sort of essential oil on her face that acted as a moisturizer.  
The door knocked.  
"Must be Hunk and Pidge," Lance said, and hopped up to open the door.  
The two walked in, and Pidge took a deep breath in.  
"This whole place smells like a fucking Lush factory exploded."  
"Pidge!" Allura cheered, and got up to lead the girl over.  
"Let me do your nails!"  
"I can do you're hair!"  
Pidge let out a loud moan, but was already trapped.  
Hunk walked over to the kitchen. "I brought some stuff over so I could make some treats."  
"Oooh, yes!" Lance said excitedly.

Shiro and Matt came soon after, and Lance was in the middle of applying a face mask to Shiro's face when Allura spoke up. "We should watch a movie!"  
Excited suggestions buzzed around in the group, trying to decide which movie to watch.  
"We should a Horror movie!"  
"Shrek!"  
"Star Wars!"  
"The Bee Movie!"  
They settled on a horror movie.   
The movie was about two kids who go to spend time with their grandparents who they had never met before, and end up spending time with two murderers who were insane.  
Hunk came out with a large bowl of popcorn, alongside various treats for the group to munch on.  
Keith was laughing at how ridiculous Shiro looked.  
"You don't look much better yourself!"  
"Speaking of, Keith, you should wash yours off now."  
As Keith went to the bathroom to rinse his face off, Pidge set up the movie, while everyone got comfortable.  
"This better be good," Keith muttered when he came back in.  
"I don't want anything too gory!" Romelle whined, snuggling close to Allura.   
"Don't worry."  
"Should have chosen The Purge."  
"Ew, no."  
"Shut up!" Pidge hissed as the movie started.  
Lance came over to Keith a few moments later, bringing some supplies. At first Keith flinched away as Lance attempted to dab some cream on his face, giving him a perplexed look.  
"Relax, I'm just trying to put some cream on your face."  
Keith frowned, but allowed Lance to. It felt strange, though nice at the same time. Though, no matter how hard he tried to focus on the movie, Keith was drawn to look at Lance for a few seconds, observing his concentrated face.  
It was cute, in a way.  
Keith almost outwardly groaned at the thought. He was doing it again.  
He needed to stop it, but couldn't.

Pidge's laughter snapped Keith out of a daze a while later, and he looked back toward the screen. The grandma was running around the house, and Pidge had been laughing because it looked as if she was attempting a Naurto run.  
"I SWEAR-"  
The whole group was giggling now, rewinding to watch the scene over again.  
"OH MY-"  
"I CAN'T-" Lance choked.   
Keith chuckled, watching as Lance bent over in a fit of giggles.

They continued to watch the movie, commenting when necessary.  
At one certain point near the end, one of the main characters, the sister, was locked in the room with the grandma, who was crawling on the floor in an insane manor. The sister was sitting on the bed, screaming as the grandma was trying to reach for her from underneath it.  
Pidge snickered, and in the silence of the room, said, "Me trying to find my phone during a game of hide and seek."  
It was a suspenseful moment for the movie, the camera panned on the grandma's hand as it grasped wildly at the sheets in desperate search for purchase, but Pidge ruined it. What once was a tense environment yet again broke into laughter for the many times that night.

By the end of the movie, they could barely breath from laughing. Even Keith had laughed aloud at Pidge's comment about the hand. It was late, so everyone decided it was best to go off to bed. Shiro said they would probably go out on the boat tomorrow and hang out on the beach, so they should get rest.  
Both Lance and Keith got ready for bed, saying goodnight to each other before settling into their own rooms.  
Keith smiled. Even if he was more of a lone wolf, he loved hanging out with everyone. There was something special about the group, and he wouldn't give them up for the world.   
With a sigh, Keith closed his eyes.

Keith's mind drifted, but finally, strangely, settled on Lance.  
It was weird. He thought that they had a rough relationship. That they would never get along. But he was proven wrong. They were getting along well, and surprisingly enough, Keith  _liked_ spending time with the Cuban boy. There was something about him that made Keith smile. Something about him that made Keith desperately want to make him happy or pleased.

The last thought he had before drifting off was that he really loved to hear and make Lance laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I chose "The Visit" because it is a really funny horror movie to make fun of. Sorry it took a little longer to update, I have been working on a few other stories at the moment, as well as schoolwork. Thanks for reading!


	5. Out On The Lake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group go out to catch some wakes, and have more bonding time.  
> Keith completes part of his deal to Lance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry it took so long to update, I’ve had a bit of a writers block, and have been trying to update other stories, too!

"KEITH WAKE UP."  
Keith jolted up in surprise, looking at Lance with wide eyes.  
"Wh-What?"  
"Get up and get ready! We are gonna go out on the boat! Get ready to get your ass beat in water skiing and wakeboarding!"

Keith got up with a yawn, turning to get his things and to change.  
"I don't understand how you do it," Keith groaned to Lance as they ate breakfast.  
"Do what?"  
"Get up so early."  
Lance shrugged. "I'm used to it. For a while I had to wake my siblings and my brother's kids up for school. I've just become a morning person, I suppose."  
"You're an uncle?"  
"Yep!"  
Keith let out a grunt.   
"Huh."

The two finally were out the door by 8:30, where they went down to meet the group at the docks.   
"Hurry up, or we are gonna ditch your slow asses."  
"We're coming, we're coming."  
Romelle was leaning over the side of the boat, watching for any small fish that passed under the boat.   
"Careful," Hunk groaned. "I really don't want to have to fish anyone out of the watch until we are out farther on the lake."  
Allura hopped on the boat after Keith and Lance.   
"Ready to go?"  
"Yep!"

Shiro pulled the boat out of the dock, and they were off, speeding up as they got farther and farther from the shore.  
Romelle was yelling out in joy, and Hunk kept screaming and pleading for her to  _STAY INSIDE THE BOAT._  
Pidge was conversing to Matt about God knows  _what_ and Allura was just enjoying the view.  
Lance was working on getting the water skiis on, insisting to go first.  
Keith didn't mind. He didn't care when he went. Lance wants to go first? Let him. They had all week, anyways.

By the time Shiro slowed down, the brunette was piping with excitement.   
It was amusing watching him waddle around in the small space of the boat.  
"Alright, Pidge, do you have the flag?"  
"Yup," the shorter girl responded, waving the flag around. "We're all set."  
"Great!" Lance said with a smile, and without second thought, he leapt backwards into the water.  
Pidge just shook her head, and Romelle seemed both extremely surprised and horrified by such actions.  
"How do you just...  _jump_ right in? The water is so cold!"  
Lance shrugged with a grin. "Trust me, I basically grew up in the water. This is nothing!"  
Allura tossed Lance the tow rope, where Lance grabbed onto the handle.  
"You're going to help me watch Lance's signals," Allura said to Keith when they began moving forward to even the line out.  
"Alright," Keith said, watching.

Lance signaled he was ready, and Shiro sped up.  
Lance, as Keith could already tell, was good at water skiing. Getting up was no problem for him, and he was soon going in and out of the wakes and performing tricks.  
Pidge let out a huff. "Show off."  
Hunk chuckled. "He's just hot-dogging it up, isn't he?"  
"He's....really good..." Keith agreed in slight awe.  
Pidge's eyebrow raised at Keith's comment, but didn't say a thing.  
Keith should have known the boy would be good at water skiing, but this good? It was almost unfair.  
Lance made a few runs, clearly enjoying himself.   
Pidge would laugh whenever he finally fell. But even after a painful face-plant, Lance was willing to get up and try again.

It was one of the last rounds around before they switched. Lance was going for a good while, and of course, Keith was watching as the brunette went in and out of the wake, taking his sweet time.  
Matt was strapping his feet onto the wakeboard, and Allura was casually chatting with Romelle.

Lance was moving out of the wake on the right side when there was a sharp wobble.

The next moment Lance was falling off to the side, where he tumbled painfully into the water.

It obviously looked like it hurt a lot, because it was enough to make Keith grimace.  
"He's down!" Keith yelled to Shiro, and Shiro slowed down.   
Keith looked back toward Lance to see if he was alright.  
A little ways behind him was a branch.  
 _Did he hit it?_  
Lance looked up toward the boat, and attempted making the "I'm OK" symbol, putting his hands around his head, but was quick to lower them.  
With a quick hand movement toward the neck, Keith realized Lance was saying he was done.  
"He wants to come out, I think he might have hit a branch," Keith told Shiro, before signalling to Lance that they would loop around.

When they got close enough, Lance paddled over, face tight.  
"Hey guys," he grunted, and Keith could tell he was in pain. "Did ya miss me?"  
Keith came over quickly and offered a hand as Lance pulled himself on board.  
"You alright? That was a nasty fall," Keith asked in concern as Lance sat down, reaching for a towel to dry himself off.  
"Fine, fine!" Lance said with a grin, but it melted away as he looked at the towel.  
There was a red stain on it, which was obviously from him.  
Lance touched a hand to his back shoulder blade, immediately wincing and cursing under his breath.  
"Mm," Keith grunted, forcing Lance to turn toward him.  
There was a fairly deep scratch on Lance's back, stretching from his left shoulder blade and down to the bottom of his right. It was obviously a result of the branch in the water.  
"Hey Pidge, can you pass me the first aid kit?" Keith asked.  
"Why, what happened?"  
"There was a stupid branch in the water," Lance answered in a bitter tone.  
"Lord." Pidge huffed, setting the medical kit down.  
"Do we need to go back to shore? That looks...really deep." Allura asked in a concerned tone, inspecting the damage.  
"No, no, it's fine," Lance said dismissively. "I'll manage. It's just a scrape."

While the rest of the group set Matt up, Keith was in charge of taking care of Lance.  
"Turn around," Keith told Lance. There was hesitation from Lance, but he turned around.   
"It's nothing," Lance muttered.  
Keith pressed a damp paper towel to the wound to clean it off, causing Lance to hiss in pain.  
"Uh-huh," Keith grunted. "Just a scrape." He poured some hydrogen peroxide onto a towel and pressed it to his friend's back.  
Lance let out a sharp yelp, digging his nails into his leg to try to distract himself from the sting of the antibacterial.  
"Shit," he said through gritted teeth.   
"Just a scrape, you say."  
"Shut up."

Keith continued to patch up the other scraped areas, sitting in a comfortable silence as the boat moved steadily on the water.   
Keith had been fine with the silence because it allowed him to examine the rest of Lance's back.  
He didn't realize he was checking Lance out until Lance spoke.  
"You done?"  
"Oh! Uh- yeah. You're good."  
"Thanks," Lance turned back around, which made Keith oddly disappointed.   
Allura and Romelle were about to go out on the inner tube, and Matt was freeing himself from the wakeboard.  
"IT IS SO COLD!" Romelle shrieked, scrambling onto the inner tube.   
"Baaaby!" Lance called. "That's nothing!"  
"You'll get used to it," Pidge grunted, and Allura jumped in after Romelle.

They went around a while longer until the growing hunger for lunch grew too great.  
Romelle was chattering excitedly about how cool the inner tubing was.   
Pidge was laughing her ass off at the fact that Romelle  _flew--no---SOARED_ into the air after one of the bumps, before belly flopping into the water.  
 _"How do you fall off an inner tube!"_  Pidge asked when they had gotten back on the boat. _"It's supposed to be like... impossible to fall off!"_  
Romelle blamed it on her grip.

-

The group headed back to shore and docked the boat. They planned to buy food from the shack before eating it on the long lawn chairs set up along the water.  
Lance had volunteered to set up, giving Hunk his order for food.  
It gave Keith some time to talk to Shiro.

"You two seem to be getting along well," Shiro observed as Keith exchanged quick words with Lance as he passed by.  
"Yeah," Keith agreed nonchalantly.  
Shiro smiled. "Maybe that car ride did some good after all."  
Keith rolled his eyes, ignoring the dad-like comment.  
"I'm glad," Shiro continued. "It's nice to see you two get along."  
"You're talking to me like I'm your kid," fretted Keith as he went up to order his food.  
"I'm just saying." Was all Shiro replied with.

Needless to say, Keith had to admit Shiro was right, like always. Because Keith saw it too, and he  _liked_ getting along with Lance. He felt like he was getting to know the brunette more, which was actually quite refreshing.   
But getting closer to Lance included complications including Keith's pathetic heart.  
And he knew that that feeling in his chest wasn't planning on leaving any time soon.

The team brought their food over to the area Lance set up.   
"Romelle!" Lance called. "Come over here!"  
"What's up?" She sat down next to Lance, a popsicle in hand.   
"I want  _you_ to change your username."  
She frowned. "Why?"  
"Because if you want to truly be apart the group, you need something other than your real name," Hunk answered for Lance.  
"What sort of name do you want?"  
"I don't know?" Romelle exclaimed. "I haven't thought about anything!"  
"Well you better start, or we are choosing for you!"  
"Okay, okay!"

While Romelle pondered what her new username should be, everyone chatted and ate their food.  
"After this we could do some SUP."  
"What the hell is a  _SUP,_  Lance?" Pidge asked with a brow raised, stealing one of his onion rings.  
"Its short for stand up paddle boarding," Lance answered matter of factly, swatting her scavenging hand away. "No more, eat your own food, you varmint."  
"Paddle boarding sounds fun," Allura agreed. "We could hang out on the beach and just hang out around shore."  
"And Keith," Lance turned to the raven haired boy. " _You_ have to fulfill your promise."  
Ah.  
Right.  
The stupid vow he made to Lance.  
"Promise?" Matt asked them, unaware of the context behind it.  
"I bought Keith a rainbow knife and in return he has to repay me with money and tasks."  
"It was a fair deal," Pidge agreed.  
Shiro pinched the space between his eyebrows.  
" _Another knife--_ "  
Keith was quick to defend himself. "Shiro, it was  _rainbow._ I  _needed_ it."  
Just then Romelle let out a hum. "I have my name now!"  
They checked the chat.

**_Romelle_ ** **changed her username to** **_LegallyLesbian_ **

"That is honestly so perfect," Pidge said, pretending to wipe a tear away.  
"I don't get it," Keith said flatly.  
"There's a movie called  _Legally Blonde._  And since she's blonde, and a lesbian, poof. A username." Pidge grinned.  
"Welcome, officially, to the group, Romelle."

-

The sand on the beach was grainy, Lance observed. Definitely different then the sand at his grandparent's house in Cuba. They had finished lunch and went down to the water, now re-applying sunscreen and getting the paddle boards ready.  
Pidge was drenching her hand in sunscreen, and Lance felt like it wasn't a good idea to ask why.  
His inward question was soon answered, the short girl running up and slapping Shiro hard across the back with it.  
The older male yelped in both pain and surprise, whipping around.  
"Pidge!"  
She attempted running away, but because of Shiro's longer legs, she didn't get too far.  
"Shiro put me down!" she said, struggling and laughing at the same time. He walked up the stairs with her slung over his shoulder, and he walked down, turning at the dock.  
"Shiro wait-" reality was beginning to dawn on her as he continued down the floating wooden planks.  
"Shiro-" she warned, now trying to fight her way out of the grasp. "Shiro nO-"  
And she was suddenly being tossed off the dock and into the water, landing with a loud splash.  
" _SHIRO!"_  Pidge shrieked at the top of her lungs, desperately paddling back toward the dock's ladder.  
Shiro was laughing from where he stood on the dock, and it wasn't until Matt came speeding down the dock that he stopped, looking over in confusion.  
"Ma-?"  
The sentence wasn't finished. Matt tackled Shiro, and they both were seen  _flying_ off the dock into the water below.  
Keith chuckled and brought the paddle board onto the water.  
"I don't know these people!" Hunk yelled to some random family that saw the whole series of events.  
Pidge came running up onto shore, screaming incoherently.  
"I think that's our signal to leave," Lance said, wanting to avoid a Pidge on attack mode.

Together Keith and Lance got out onto the water, Lance seated in front of Keith as the dark haired boy rowed.  
It was fun, to Keith's surprise. He didn't mind rowing, and Lance was entertaining as it was so it distracted him from the task.   
They had padded some ways away from the beach, where Romelle and Allura were sitting in the sun talking while Pidge was paddling around in a pedal boat with Hunk. Shiro and Matt had taken a kayak out and were further out exploring the lake.  
Which, of course, left Lance and Keith to entertain each other, which wasn't as bad as Keith figured it might be.  
And, in all honesty, he was beginning to realize that there was so much more to Lance than the flirtatious, annoying kid he thought he knew.

"How's it going up there?" Lance asked after a while of a silence.  
"Fine, and you?"  
Lance shrugged.   
"Good."  
"You finally shut up for once," Keith observed, though his voice was teasing.  
"I was just thinking."  
Keith couldn't help it. He snickered.  
"Wh- Keith, I  _know_ what you're thinking. 'Wow, that's a first, Lance is finally thinking!'"  
Keith laughed. "I mean...  _I_ wasn't gonna say it buuut."  
"Har-Har, very funny," Lance replied in fake sarcasm.  
"What were you thinking about?" Keith asked on a more serious note.  
Lance didn't respond right away, and when he did, Keith immediately knew it wasn't what he was actually thinking about.  
"Do you think the Lock-Ness monster is in this lake somewhere?"  
Keith let out a breathless laugh. "No."  
"No? Why not?"  
"It's too small of a lake," Keith reasoned. "I feel like if it  _were_ real it would live in a slightly larger and deeper lake. Maybe some sort of sea or bay, too, where it has plenty of room to roam, but isn't in the big big ocean."  
"You're a nerd," was Lance's response.  
"You asked about it."  
"Mmm, true."

They continued for a while, discussing whatever crossed their mind.  
Lance was swaying his feet around and splashing the water when Keith pushed Lance with his foot.  
"Stop, you're getting me wet."  
"Oh?" Lance said, turning to Keith. "Does Keith not like water?"  
"I just don't want to get wet right now."  
Lance's grin grew wicked. In one swift movement, he grabbed Keith's ankles and yanked forward, making Keith fall backward and off the board.  
"Whoops!" Lance called to the boy.  
Keith was submerged for a few seconds, the cold water sending an instant chill up his spine.  
When he surfaced, dark hair covering his eyes, he yelled out in frustration.   
"Lance what the hell!"  
In response was the sound of Lance's contagious laughter.  
Keith had to admit, it was hard to stay mad when all you could hear was Lance's laughter.

Not to mention, Keith had a plan forming in his head.

He paddled in the cold water over to where Lance was and reached a hand up out of the water.  
"Help me back up, you dick."  
Lance looked over the side, triumph clear on his face with his signature smirk.  
"What's the magic word?"  
Keith groaned. "Please."

Lance didn't seem to catch onto Keith's trick, and reached to grab Keith's suspended hand.   
Keith gripped onto the tan arm, and climbed up, but before he was all the way back on, he pushed backward, not letting go of Lance's arm. The boy let out a startled yelp, and they both went crashing back into the water.   
"Dirty move, Kogane!"  
Keith cackled, his success evident. Lance proceeded in splashing Keith in the face, in which Keith mirrored the action. It wasn't surprising that after a few seconds it turned into an all out water fight, the two using the board as protection, diving under, and fully wrestling in the water.   
They surfaced after several minutes, both panting.

They looked at each other.

And burst out laughing.

"Come on," Keith chuckled once the laughter died down. He wiped some of the hair out of his eyes. "We should get back to the beach."  
But Lance didn't reply. Not immediately.   
Keith realized after a second that Lance was staring at him, an odd expression on his face.  
"What..?" Keith asked, suddenly self-conscious under the stair.   
Lance blinked, then looked away quickly, letting out a nervous laugh.   
"Nothing. Yeah, let's go back." Lance paddled back over to the board, leaving Keith to float in place for a moment.  
What just happened?  
Keith let out a huff, before following the drenched brunette back.  
Lance was standing up on the board, and Keith looked over in confusion.   
"I thought I was paddling?"  
"Nah," Lance said with a smile. "You deserve a break. You, my humble servant, have served me well."  
Yep, the regular Lance was back.  
Keith smiled, and climbed on, sitting down.  
And then they were off, back toward the shore where the group was waiting.


End file.
